Category Archives: IP phone

Mitel MiVoice Microsoft Lync IP Phones

Mitel MiVoice Skype for Business IP Phones

Mitel MiVoice Skype for Business IP Phones augment Skype for Business’ capabilities with reliable voice and mobility. Best of all, it integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft application you already know!

If you’ve been using Microsoft Lync (now Skype for Business) and need mission-critical voice service, you need a solution that fits within the Microsoft framework, is reliable and doesn’t introduce complexity.

Mitel’s MiVoice IP phones allow users to extend the Skype for Business client to Mitel voice call control features, such as click-to-call, incoming call device selection, and more. It includes in-call features like forward, transfer and embedded conferencing and gives employees the ability to control their desk phones, mobile devices and move calls between those devices, all within the Microsoft Skype for Business client.

Aastra / Mitel 4400 IP Phone Series

Mitel completed its takeover of Aastra Technologies on January 31, 2014. At the time, one of Aastra’s popular models of IP phone was their 4400 series. With companies starting to transition to IP telephony, the 4400 series of IP phones represented a good value.

mitel-4400-series-ip-phone-family-600Now known as the Mitel 4400 Series IP Phones, they are compatible withe MiVoice MX-ONE, BusinessPhone and MD Evolution telephony systems. All updates take place over the network so administrators can easily keep them up to date with the most current software remotely.

Practical, functional, pleasing design and good ergonomics are also some of the hallmarks of the 4400 series phones. For companies looking to migrate to a VoIP telephone system, Mitel offers a number of solutions for enterprises of all sizes. Perhaps the 4400 series will find their way to your office soon.

NEC Adds 9.5″ SV9100 Chassis For Small Business Clients

NEC recently added the smaller 9.5″ SV9100 phone system chassis, matching it’s predecessor, the 9.5″ SV8100 cabinet for small business customers.

NEC SV9100 9.5 inch chassis

Compact NEC SV9100 9.5″ Chassis for Small Business

Telephone Magic Inc. has been installing these smaller chassis SV9100 systems for a few months now and the verdict is in… WE LOVE IT! The 9.5″ chassis offers small businesses a cost-effective way to get the high end features of the award winning NEC SV9100 platform.

While the SV9100 is based on the solid foundation of the SV8100 platform, it has a much more powerful processor. It does away with the need for the PZ-VM21 Voice Mail card holder and the PZ-ME50-US Expanded Memory card, The InMail voice mail packake is now stored on a micro SD card which clicks right into a slot on the main control card (GCD-CP10). Like the SV8100, this system is hybrid in nature. It handles both digital and IP phones, has the capability to network between sites and add SIP trunks as bandwidth grows and QoS become more stable.

NEC UT880 tablet tepehone

The UT880 combines the ease of a touchscreen tablet and a familiar telephone keypad!

Customers are RAVING about the new UT880 Tablet Phone which combines the look and feel of a tablet with a standard telephone handset interface. This phone terminal combines touchscreen capabilities with a familiar phone keypad and video options – it is simply breathtaking!

NEC’s UT880 Universal Client is a multiline telephone application that emulates an NEC 32-line DESI-less telephone, comes standard in the SV9100’s user licensing packages. The interface of the UT880 Universal Client is designed to improve the overall user experience, while remaining intuitive—with no extensive training needed. You can see at-a-glance if you have new voice or instant message notifications, missed calls, meetings and new emails plus it provides access to all of the standard system features.

The UT880 and NEC's SV9100 create a powerful combination of innovation and user features!

The UT880 and NEC’s SV9100 create a powerful combination of innovation and user features!

Additionally, the UT880 enables access to the UC Suite Client – corporate directory, presence, instant messaging, unified messaging and call control – right on your desktop phone.

When NEC first release the SV9100 they created the UNIVERGE SV9100S and SV9100E Communications Servers. While they are both robust, feature-rich, Unified Communications enabled systems that are ideal for small and medium-sized businesses, the added introduction of the 9.5″ chassis offers the smallest of business clients to take advantage of the powerful SV9100 platform. Each server is designed to help solve today’s communications challenges and is built with your migration path in mind, so you can scale your communications as your business grows.

Because it is so future friendly and upgraded by frequent software improvements, NEC's SV9100 is likely the LAST communication system your business will ever purchase!

Because it is so future friendly and upgraded by frequent software improvements, NEC’s SV9100 is likely the LAST communication system your business will ever purchase!

The one thing we love about NEC’s SV9100 is that it is likely the last communication system your business will purchase. Unlike previous “in the box” phone systems that had a certain amount of set features that became antiquated and redundant over time, the SV9100 is future friendly – it’s a server that will regularly be improved going forward via software updates. As new features are invented and brought to market they will become available to your business team as you keep your SV9100 current with the latest Software Assurance,

The SV9100 also comes with a simplified user-licensing structure, which allows you to only pay for what your business needs, as you need it. Gone are the days of paying for 40 voice mail boxes when all you needed was six! Gone are the days of having to buy voice mail ports to be able to handle more calls. This system is provisioned for sixteen ports that will handle as many or as few calls as necessary. The SV9100 also easily integrates with your existing NEC technology.

In short, we are VERY impressed with the SV9100 communication system, and our initial experience with it tells us you will never regret a move to this platform. It is built on a solid foundation and will grow in just about any way you wish as your business changes and expands.

Everyone Seems to be “Hung up on VoIP”

It is AMAZING how many of our clients are all about “Don’t we need VoIP phones?” and “Don’t we need to get cheap VoIP truncks?” and “Aren’t SIP trunks cheaper?”.
Well, to answer ALL these questions… “YES”… under the right circumstances. Not everyone NEEDS more expensive IP phones. That’s right, I said it. I would LOVE to sell you more expensive endpoints and, WOW, I would REALLY LOVE to invoice you to rewire your entire building for Ethernet phone extensions, but, to be honest, YOU DON’T NEED THEM! (darn)…

You heard me. MOST small to medium sized businesses do NOT require IP phones. More importantly, their site Internet access will not SUPPORT loads of VoIP traffic with SIP trunks or phones either!

Most small businesses, EVEN WITH MULTIPLE BRANCHES, can take advantage of less expensive digital terminals and STILL utilize SIP trunks to save money by connecting their hybrid phone systems, such as the NEC SV8100 telephone system via IP daughter boards, such as the IPLB32 – opening a VPN tunnel between the sites where phone calls can be transferred back and forth. Again, this can be done with DIGITAL phones because the SYSTEMS are tied together with VoIP technology!

Before YOU make the mistake of spending an arm load of dough to buy fancy IP phones and swithces that, OMG, don’t work with your limited Internet bandwidth (ouch! YES, there’s the site limitation!) – call someone who REALLY knows their stuff that takes ALL of the environmental and carrier service capabilities into consideration before selling you what you THINK You need. It’s that simple.

Hey, don’t get us wrong – we LOVE the BUZZ words – they sell a TON of new equipment. But don’t sell yourself short and get a huge disappointment when you find out your new phones do not even work. Listen to a professional that can save you loads of money and aggravation by not only listening to what you want, but telling you EXACTLY what you NEED based on your requirements and local site capabilities.

Your Business May Not Be Ready for VoIP

Although VoIP or Voice over IP (as it is also known) – basically phone calls over the Internet – is starting to become a popular solution for business telecommunications, your business might not be ready for it. Business networks come in all shapes and sizes, and a deficiency in one area of your network can prevent you from adopting a VoIP service solution. Fortunately, each of these factors can be addressed to ascertain whether your business is ready for VoIP

Your LAN

A LAN (Local Area Network) supplies the networking capability for the group of computers that your business operates from your office site. Your LAN must have the ability to both protect and prioritize data packets of information. The LAN’s switching fabric must also support prioritization of traffic through differentiated services (a form of computer networking architecture) and network segmentation via VLANs (Virtual Local Area Network, usually 802.1Q). In order to make troubleshooting easier and support high-quality service, your LAN should also have the ability to isolate real-time media and switch in real time.

Your Router

Your choice of router is also an important component of your network, and should also separate real time media from other traffic. The router should actually route real time media at a separate IP address, which will also help with analysis and optimization of performance.

Your Network Connection Speed

Possibly the most discussed factor in determining whether a particular business network can support VoIP is the actual quality of your Internet connection. Fortunately the discussion has inspired many resources such as “Pingtest” that enables business to evaluate their connection speed.

Your Equipment

Finally, the actual end user equipment will have a substantial impact on perceived VoIP service quality. Cheap handsets and headsets make for poor fidelity, and extra IT time spent diagnosing the problem. Although your choice of equipment may seem like a minor concern, the result of the choice will affect your both your productivity and your image. You can purchase VoIP phones from most VoIP PBX providers.

Be Sure You Are Ready

Make sure you are ready before causing a disastrous loss of phone service in your business. Once you find out about your ability (or lack thereof) to carry multiple voice calls simultaneously over your network and Internet service, you may reconsider cutting the cord to your traditional phone company’s reliable lines.